Process of manufacturing gasoline



2 1927. April l H. THOMAS PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING GASOLINE Filed Aug.12, `1925 AN VN cracking, may be more Patented Apr. 12, 1,927.

[UNITED STATES 1,624,692 ENT OFFICE.

HENRY THOMAS, 0F RIDLEY PARK, NSYIJVANIA, .ASSIGNOR T0 SUNHOIL COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA` A. CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PROCESS 0F MANUFACTURING GASOLINE.

application mea- Augus: 12,- 1925. serial no. 49,702..

n. process whereby gasoline produced by anyv known distillation or cracking process may be freed of such of its impurities as produce a discoloration of the finished product. 'It is impossible, in any of the usual processes of distilling gasoline from higher boiling hydrocarbons, to avoid as is well known. involves the breaking down of certain hydrocarbon compounds and the formation of newv hydrocarbon compounds that comprise a large proportion of gasoline. In other words. the principal conditions incident to the distillation of petroleum oils, namely, temperature, pressure (including atmospheric pressure and indeedany absolute pressure above a vacuum) and time, are conditions that operate to manufacture lower boiling hydrocarbons from higher boiling hydrocarbons. By increasing any of the factors of pressure, temperature and time, product may be increased.

With some crude oils, careful distillation produces a distillate of good color. With other crudes, equally careful distillation produces a distillate of bad color, differing, apparently. only in degree from a'distillate producedA by cracking. With any crude, intentional cracking produces a distillate ofbad color. It is known that any oil of bad color, including oil containing decomposition products, such as gasoline more or less of which has been produced by or less decolorized by filtering it through a bed of finely divided solids, of which fnllers earth is perhaps the more commonly used, while the oil is in either a liquid phase or a vapor phase. Filtering the gasoline while it is in a vapor phase is perhaps more efficacious, but the gasoline vapors lfrom a cracking still are so contaminated with undesirable constituents containing a largevpercentage of color bodies that, unless the clay bed be heated to a temperature above the condensing point of the entering vapors, the amount of condensate is very large, while if such high temperature conditions are' maintained in the clay bed as to substantially prevent partial condensation, the percentage of color bodies that accumulate in the clay bed is so hghthat the filtering medium is rapidly clogged up with filtered out impurities and the process becomeseconomically inefiicient.

cracking, which,-

the volume of the cracked chamber 18, in which The present `rocess 'involves the partialA purification 'of ydrocarbon vapors contamnig cracked gasoline by the initial removal therefrom' yof higher boiling constituentsA and the passage of the'thus partiall purified vapors through a clay bed or ot er decolorizmg agent under such conditions of plication of .heat to the clay bed, whose ten'iperatureis not above that to which it is brought by the heat of the vapors. Preferably, also, the p roduct is cracked while being largely maintained,v by the pressure Aof its own vapors, ma vliquid state, and this product' is then subjected to three operations: namely, vaporizatiom which koccurs under release or lsubstantial reduction of pressure with the throwing down, in a li uid condition, of heavier -constituents re ux. lng. or partial condensation, of the vapors, with the passage of the vapors through and 1n intimate contact with the condensate, the

4operation being most conveniently carried on in the known bubble tower; and final purlfication and decolorization, which occurs in the filtering medium, and under conditions that permit the formation of more or less condensate. The process involves, also` 1n its preferred embodiment, the transfer of the condensate to the vaporizer or to the bubble tower.

The Vprocess is not dependent for its execution on any particular apparatus. An apparatus, however, in which the entire process of cracking, as well as purificationv and decolorization, may be efficiently carried out is shown in the accom anying drawings, in which the figure is a iagrammatic view of the entire plant.

The gas oil or other hydrocarbon oil to be cracked to gasoline is taken, by a pump 11, from a tank v10. through a line 12, reflux condenser 13 and line 14. through which, by means of a'pump 15, it is conveyed through coils 16 in a furnace 17. In this furnace the oil is heated, preferably to a. cracking temperature. Thence the oil flows to a reaction the oil is crackedunder a. high pressure. Preferably the loil in chamber '18, and also in the heater, is maintained under pressure of evolved gases ofv the oil, the pressure being sufficient to prevent vaporlzation of any substantial proportion of the oil. The cracking process may be carried out in accordance with the Cross Patent No. 1,423,500, although other processes of cracking under pressure may he substituted. The oil, released by a valve 1f), is continuously removed from the reaction chamber, and` is conveyed, through lines 20, 2l and 22, to a vaporizer 23.` Owing to the release of pressure on the oil, the larger part of the oil vaporizes (most of 1t indeed vaporizing immediately on escaping through valve 19), the remaining oil (about five to ten per cent of the total) being thrown down in the vaporizer.

The vapors leave the vaporizer through a line 24 and pass into a bubble tower 25. The bubble tower may be of any known construction that forces the vapors to bubble up through descending condensed oil, as, for example, that. disclosed in the patent application of Pew and Thomas, Sverlal No. 694.470, filed February 23, 1924.

The uncondensed vapors leave the bubble tower at the top and, through lines 26 and 27, pass into and through a bed of decolorizing material, such as fullers earth, char.- eoal, Death Valley earth, bauxite, the product resulting from the reaction of a soluble silicate with ammonium alinuminum sulfate, or other suitable material.

The chamber containing this decolorizing agent may comprise a cylindrical tank 28 containing a perforated screen 29 which prevents the overlying decolorizing material from passing throughit, but which permits the passage of vapor and condensate, a valved pipe 30 through which sald material may be discharged by gravity, a vapor outlet pipe 31 and an outlet pipe 40 for condensate.

The treated vapors leaving through pipe 31 flow through pipe 32 into a condenser coil 33 and thence into a separator 34, where the permanent gas is taken off and is relmoved at the top. The gasoline leaves from a lower connection 35 to a storage tank (not shown).

The oil which is condensed, or not vaporized, in vaporizer 23 is drawn ofi' at the bottom and.v through line 36. flows to a cooler coil 37 and thence to storage.

The oil which is thrown down in the bubble tower 25 isv drawn off' at the bottom and, through line 38, flows to a cooler coil n39 and thence to storage.

diverted, through line 49, to a cooler and condenser coil 50 and thence to storage. This arrangement permits the establishment of a temporary circulation of oil in starting: up the plant in order to establish the ternperature and other fixed conditions which are necessary for the efficient operation ofthe plant in a continuous manner. This circulation may also be established preparatory to shutting down the plant. Thereby it is insured that no gas oil shall pass to the regular condenser and contaminate the gasoline. The condenser and cooling coil 5() may be used for one or for several units.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patentis:

l. The process of producing decolorized gasoline which comprises subjecting a flowing stream of a h drocarbon containing a large proportion o gasoline and while in a vapor state to partial condensation and intimately mixing vvapors of the flowing stream with the condensate of the same stream, thereby ei'ecting separation from the hydrocarbon of higher boiling constituents with resultant partial purification of the gasoline vapors, filtering the uncondensed vapors of the flowing stream of hydrocarbon through a body of a decolorizing materiah'maintaining such temperature of filtration as will permit a portion of the vapors to condense, condensing the decolorized vapors that are uncondensed in the body of decolorizing material, and conveying the condensate from said body of de colorizing material to the hydrocarbon vapors flowing toward the locus of decolorization.

2. The process of producing decolorized gasoline which'comprises releasing the pressure on cracked hydrocarbon that is largely in a liquid phase and under high pressure and contains a substantial. proportion of gasoline and allowing a predominating proportion of the liquidv hydrocarbons to vaporize within an expanded space, the vapor within said space containing said gasoline and heavier hydrocarbons, separating out the minor portion ot' the hydrocarbons in a liquid condition, subjecting a flowing stream of such vapor to partial condensation and i intimately mixing vapors of the flowing stream with the condensate ofthe same stream, thereby effecting separation from the hydrocarbon of higher boiling constituents with resultant partial purification of the gasoline vapors, filtering the uncondensed vapors of the flowing stream of hydrocarbon through a body of a decolorizing material, maintaining such temperature of filtration as will permit a portion of the vapors to condense, and condensing the decolorized vapors that are uncondensed in the body of decoloriiing material.,

3. The process of producing decolorized gasoline which comprises subjecting a flowing Stream of-a hydrocarbon containing a large proportion of gasoline' and while in a vapor state to partial condensation and intimately mixing vapors of the owing stream with the condensate of the same stream, thereby eecting separation from the hydrocarbon of higher boilino constituents with resultant partial purication of thc gasoline vapors, passing the uncondensed vapors of the flowing stream downwardl through a body of decolorizing materia,

maintaining such temperature of ltration as will permit a portion of the vapors to condense, the vapors being constralned to flow downwardly through the body of decolorizing material and the vapors as well as the condensate emerging from the bottom of said body, and condensing the decolorizcd HENRY THOMAS. 

